Serving up steaming scoops of K12 edtech observation, thoughts, and opinions. With gravy.

How do you teach anything? Teachers and coaches are constantly searching for the most efficient way to teach.
Below are some points of conversation from a coach I have always respected.

In sports, you teach the key point. The motion that differentiates almost getting it right from nailing it. If you can help someone see the key point which makes the whole motion produce the desired result they will understand why you need to drill that one key point over and over. You can accomplish more repetitions on the key point since it is shorter versus trying to work through the entire sequence every time. It isn’t just sports though, is it? The key point can translate into the classroom as well.

You give the whole picture and then move in on the portion which is the key point. This is equitable and objective in the sense that everybody receives the whole picture and work on the key point. However, is also equitable and subjective in that you assess the needs of individuals and address them accordingly. Yet each interaction respects the learner as unique and worthy of instruction. Even if some had less drill on the key point because of assessed needs instruction they are still ahead of learners who only practiced the whole motion all day, regardless of their readiness for the skill. Those fundamentals enhanced and any drill, however limited, of the key point still puts the individual ahead of other learners working his/her way through the whole move. The focus on the individual needs of the learner along with the focused practice of the key point is what will yield success.

Short spans of commitment to quick meaningful drills will focus learners on success. You build overarching concepts into those drills as a pattern, but offer short wins through targeted drills on key points.

Now every learner has (some) experience drilling the key point. Bring it back to whole group, give everybody the key point and drill it again, together.

Everybody works through moves physically, not everybody works through mentally. The art of coaching is when you engineer a challenge to a learner optimized to respond positively to the challenge of not succeeding.

Coaching is coaching, whether you are coaching an athlete or someone in the classroom. As a coach, can you boil your lesson, your unit into key points? Could you share those key points with your students to increase your efficiency and to increase their proficiency at a task, perfect a skill, develop a successful habit?